Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Group Evaluation
Media group evaluation - By Gabi (5024), Katie (1070) and Vicky (1151)
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
G -We believe that our film follows the conventions of a Sci-Fi film, even though it may not directly follow the traditional conventions; we believe that due to our imaginative plot it links well with this genre. This is due to the ability of the character to rewind time, which enabled our film to fit into this genre. However, I believe that we don’t entirely follow the conventions of a Sci-Fi as they usually follow a scientific theme, that of which ours does not, therefore, I believe we have developed this form of convention into a new mix of genres. The ability to fasten and slow the pace of the certain clips adds to the effect of a euphoric, sci-fi feel.
V-The immediate genre of which our film falls under and uses the conventions of, is British film. This is due to the British mis-en-scene of a typical British estate for location and the clothing we chose of a working class style. Our film also falls under a British category due to the fact that each one of us that created the film is British and due to the music we also included being made by a British artist (Skrein) enhances the idea that our film is a typical British film. The aesthetics of a British Film are as follows: gritty, fast paced, and can show the realism and hardship of Britain which we feel we had captured with the style of camera shots and editing we have used. We also feel that the use of our establishing shots of the estate emphasizes that it is a working class, British location.
K-Our synopsis in general indicates that the majority of our film links to that of a British film rather than a Sci-Fi film, as our first two minute opening gives a better representation of a British film with elements of a Sci-Film. We believe that we have somewhat broken conventions by using a girl in our film as a boxer. We believe that this showed a different, perhaps more edgy, side to the story line and still manages to capture the gritty life of a Brit. We feel that this makes the story line more shocking as it is unexpected to have a female playing main victim & villain. We felt that by breaking the convention of a female actor it would show the real grit of Britain emphasizing our genre we chose to use.
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
K - Our media product represents a small minority group following the hardship and struggles of a girl in a working class environment. The mise-en-scene first suggests this as we film the girl running through a council estate. She looks comfortable and as if she knows the area, again suggesting this is familiar to her. People from a sporting background may also relate to elements of our film, as our opening two minutes is very physical. We show a variety of different shots portraying various warm-up movements. The clothing of our character represents teenage youths perhaps living round council estate of a working class family, however as our character is a boxer and has a power this eliminates the stereotype as you would expect a boxer to be wearing this clothing. We believe these factors attract the audience we intended to through these social representations.
3) What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?
G -As we have aimed for our media product come under the ‘British Film’ umbrella, we would want a British institution to distribute our film. We completed a cultural test to diagnose the genre of our film and our results showed that we received almost full marks showing a strong British motif throughout. After some research of other British films we came across ‘This is England’. We discovered that as a British film, we may need lots of distributers, as the distributers would not have a lot of funding to give to the project, unlike big Hollywood blockbusters. For example, ‘This is England’ distributers include ‘IFC Films’, ‘NetFlix’ and ‘Red Envelope Entertainment’, distributers which we would be keen to work with.
V -Furthermore, an institution like ‘Film 4’, distribute films that captures a niche audience, a niche audience which we intend to target. Therefore, this makes them a prime target given their distribution history. They are known to promote films about social realism and culture which suits our media product perfectly. Our film would initially be distributed via television, as we do not believe that due to our niche audience we would not attract enough cinema goers and therefore make enough profit.
K – Due to the genre of our film we this it be beneficial to promote the film through online distribution for example LoveFilm. This would give our film the opportunity for it to be critically acclaimed by a wider audience as it is more available to them. We also believe it would be beneficial to market our film before being released via television and virally. By having previews of our film at festivals such as the British Film Festival will enable our film to be recognized and again get critical acclaim.
4) Who would be the audience of your product?
G- Our intended audience would attract predominately a male audience from the age group of around 16-25. This is because the aspects focused on are scenes of fighting typically enjoyed by a male audience and as the film is of the life of an 18 year old girl it would attract a similar age group. The fact that it is a British film may also attract the younger viewing generation as are interested in seeing films about the down to earth life of everyday teenagers. We also think that this film will appeal to people with a similar background of the location we have chosen as they may assume they could relate to the film. Yet because we have mixed Sci-Fi elements with a British flare, their assumption is not as it would seem. We believe that this would attract a wider actual audience as the Sci-Fi element would attract viewers and so would the British flare to the film too.
V- We think that our film would be rated a 15, we have done some research into the BBFC as to why our film would be classified this. We found it would be classified a 15 due to the scenes of strong language and abrupt violence during the fight scenes that our character partakes in, both during the opening sequence and full duration of the narrative. Within the first two minutes of the sequence Gabi is seen to be smoking and fighting with another, whilst using profound language (even though this may not be apparent in the fight in the opening scene). We feel it appropriate therefore, to give our film a 15 age rating as it abides by the laws the BBFC have directed as later on within our film stronger use of frequent strong language and violence will be made apparent to the viewer.
5) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
G- Firstly, the technologies what we used in order to create our 2 minute opening were; Apple MACS for editing using Final Cut Pro, HD DV cameras with an external microphone and the use of blogger to display our written work on clearly and comprehensively. Through out the filming of our 2 minute opening of a film we quickly learnt how to turn on, rewind, playback and use the light that was built into the camera. As none of us had used this HD camera before as they were quite new it took us no time at all to pick up the basics of how to work the camera for filming. This was due to the fact that we had used the older mini DV camera for filming out preliminary task and so both were quite similar in the usage of each. However, when it came to importing our footage to the MACs we weren’t sure as to how we do this so we had to refer to the manual in order to get all our footage onto the MAC. Once we had figured out how to do this it was fairly straight forward getting everything we filmed on to Final Cut Pro. As well as the camera we also used the external microphone in order to get good quality sound in our final film. This was not difficult to learn how to use as we only needed to attach the microphone to the camera and choose the setting of which we wanted to use. In terms of light quality, we had to work on light exposure especially when film during the night time. During the fight scene we had difficulty keeping the focus of the shot with intermittent strobe lighting. We constantly had to pause filming and learn how to re-focus the camera using a function button. This was a real learning curve. K -As we had never used Final Cut Pro before we learnt a vast amount of how to use the programme whist in the process of editing. Due to the fact we worked together and shared the responsibility of editing we all gained the same knowledge and learnt how to use each of the following things. Once all of our footage was on the MACs we were shown a tutorial by our teacher of how to use the basics of Final Cut Pro. Whist editing, it took us a while to recognize all of the icons to use but we found it easy to pick it up after using them over and over. We learnt how to cut sequences and delete sections of sequences and how to insert different transitions from clip to clip. We then had the issue of finding out how to reverse a sequence, we were kindly shown by a Year 13 how to do this and we then became comfortable doing this ourselves which turned out to be much easier than we thought. As we wanted a specific font we were able to download and import one, ‘British Hero’, and used that to create an urban British feel to our opening. Some of our footage had a bright light exposure which contradicted the feel of our film. We wanted a dull, bland, colouring to enhance the idea that this was a tough council estate. We did this by using the re-colour tool, we learnt how to do this through searching ‘Help’ on Final Cut Pro.
V -We wanted to include a voice over in our 2 minute film over specific clips. Again, this was done by using the help icon in the ‘Final Cut Pro’ software. As well as the voiceover, we wanted the sound track to the opening of BBC News. This was a simplistic task, as there were many levels of sound which could be imported into. Importing music into Final Cut Pro was very simple as was importing pictures too. All we had to do was put all of them on a memory stick and then drag and drop the music and pictures into our timeline where we wanted them. At a few points in our film we speed up and blurred some of the clips, we learnt how to do this by referring to the ‘Help’ tool and we were then able to select how fast and how blurred we wanted the sequence to be. We quickly came to learnt how to change the volume level of sound in the sequence and we became more knowledgeable in how to get the sound levels correct too. We found that on some clips, the diegetic sound was problematic due to background cars and vans distorting the main sound, using the help tool we were able to turn this down. In two of our sequences we had filmed some areas that we didn’t want to include in the actual frame, we were able to understand how to crop out what we didn’t want and were then shown by a teacher how to enlarge the image again so that it fit the same ratio as the other clips.
K -Twice within our film we needed to freeze frame some clips, we learnt how to do this by searing ‘Help’ on the programme which was really helpful to us. Finally and most importantly - which took us a very long time to figure out how to do - we learnt how to add text and titles to our film and how to position them where we wanted. This was with many thanks help from another media student and so we were then able to play around with what we wanted it to look like and where to position the text and the transition it appeared on screen. We also, learnt how to flip clips. This is because to the subconscious eye movements and text read better from left to right. When they are reversed in the film industry it is usually to create an agnostic tension, something which we did not want to portray. Finally, we learnt how to use blogger efficiently and effectively. We were shown how to import pictures, text and how to post videos straight from YouTube for a clear to read and comprehensive blog. We also learnt how to post text from Microsoft Word straight to the blog with thanks to a year 13 student which was of great help.
6) Looking back at your preliminary task, what have you learnt in progression from it to the full product?
G -Our preliminary task showed basic skills of camera shot and dynamic shots we wanted to use. We didn’t have any movement of camera when we filmed in our preliminary task. We realize that looking back at it, it wasn’t a very interesting or captivating location to entice our audience. Our 2 minute film included many movement shots and interesting angles that we had to research to find out how they would be perceived in order to get the correct message. We also had to consider our location, props and actor including shot types to create an overall impact that we wanted whereas we didn’t consider that before in our preliminary task. We have learnt how to shoot different shots that we didn’t know how to do before, for example the arc shot we used when Gabi is smoking shows the vulnerability paranoia that the character is experiencing. We have learnt how to be more dynamic and inventive with the styles of shots we have incorporated in our film compared to our preliminary task so that the audience is drawn in to action. We believe we have achieved this through the strobe lighting we used and the quick editing pace we incorporated.
V -Throughout the filming we made sure that we filmed the same shot but using different angles and elevations so we had the choice when it came to editing of what suited our genre best. We learnt that we needed to film excess footage of each shot to ensure that we didn’t miss anything that we might want to use. However we didn’t do this when we filmed our preliminary task which caused some issues when we edited. We also learnt that storyboarding really helped us to develop a concrete idea as we didn’t have the amenities to change our ideas on set. We felt that our storyboarding from our preliminary task wasn’t as concrete as our story boarding this time was much better in helping us to create our final piece. We also managed to stick to it well, apart from a few changes that we made during editing to benefit the overall film.
K -We feel that planning and research really helped to develop our idea to best that it could be, we watched other films for inspiration which we gathered new ideas from to include. We didn’t do this in our preliminary task which could be as to why the outcome was quite amateur. We visited the locations to see how and where we could film which was a very active way of having a clearer idea as a group to see what the overall outcome of our film would look like. Finally, we learnt that editing can take our film further into captivating and giving interest to the audience viewers. We didn’t do any interesting editing in our preliminary task and this may have been another aspect that didn’t make it very professional. As we were editing, along the way we got feedback from viewers as to what they thought about the work we had produced. This gave us confidence within the work we had already produced and was able to motivate us to improve our film. This feedback also helped us to edit the footage we had so that it was clearer to the audience what our message behind the opening was.
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
G -We believe that our film follows the conventions of a Sci-Fi film, even though it may not directly follow the traditional conventions; we believe that due to our imaginative plot it links well with this genre. This is due to the ability of the character to rewind time, which enabled our film to fit into this genre. However, I believe that we don’t entirely follow the conventions of a Sci-Fi as they usually follow a scientific theme, that of which ours does not, therefore, I believe we have developed this form of convention into a new mix of genres. The ability to fasten and slow the pace of the certain clips adds to the effect of a euphoric, sci-fi feel.
V-The immediate genre of which our film falls under and uses the conventions of, is British film. This is due to the British mis-en-scene of a typical British estate for location and the clothing we chose of a working class style. Our film also falls under a British category due to the fact that each one of us that created the film is British and due to the music we also included being made by a British artist (Skrein) enhances the idea that our film is a typical British film. The aesthetics of a British Film are as follows: gritty, fast paced, and can show the realism and hardship of Britain which we feel we had captured with the style of camera shots and editing we have used. We also feel that the use of our establishing shots of the estate emphasizes that it is a working class, British location.
K-Our synopsis in general indicates that the majority of our film links to that of a British film rather than a Sci-Fi film, as our first two minute opening gives a better representation of a British film with elements of a Sci-Film. We believe that we have somewhat broken conventions by using a girl in our film as a boxer. We believe that this showed a different, perhaps more edgy, side to the story line and still manages to capture the gritty life of a Brit. We feel that this makes the story line more shocking as it is unexpected to have a female playing main victim & villain. We felt that by breaking the convention of a female actor it would show the real grit of Britain emphasizing our genre we chose to use.
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
K - Our media product represents a small minority group following the hardship and struggles of a girl in a working class environment. The mise-en-scene first suggests this as we film the girl running through a council estate. She looks comfortable and as if she knows the area, again suggesting this is familiar to her. People from a sporting background may also relate to elements of our film, as our opening two minutes is very physical. We show a variety of different shots portraying various warm-up movements. The clothing of our character represents teenage youths perhaps living round council estate of a working class family, however as our character is a boxer and has a power this eliminates the stereotype as you would expect a boxer to be wearing this clothing. We believe these factors attract the audience we intended to through these social representations.
3) What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?
G -As we have aimed for our media product come under the ‘British Film’ umbrella, we would want a British institution to distribute our film. We completed a cultural test to diagnose the genre of our film and our results showed that we received almost full marks showing a strong British motif throughout. After some research of other British films we came across ‘This is England’. We discovered that as a British film, we may need lots of distributers, as the distributers would not have a lot of funding to give to the project, unlike big Hollywood blockbusters. For example, ‘This is England’ distributers include ‘IFC Films’, ‘NetFlix’ and ‘Red Envelope Entertainment’, distributers which we would be keen to work with.
V -Furthermore, an institution like ‘Film 4’, distribute films that captures a niche audience, a niche audience which we intend to target. Therefore, this makes them a prime target given their distribution history. They are known to promote films about social realism and culture which suits our media product perfectly. Our film would initially be distributed via television, as we do not believe that due to our niche audience we would not attract enough cinema goers and therefore make enough profit.
K – Due to the genre of our film we this it be beneficial to promote the film through online distribution for example LoveFilm. This would give our film the opportunity for it to be critically acclaimed by a wider audience as it is more available to them. We also believe it would be beneficial to market our film before being released via television and virally. By having previews of our film at festivals such as the British Film Festival will enable our film to be recognized and again get critical acclaim.
4) Who would be the audience of your product?
G- Our intended audience would attract predominately a male audience from the age group of around 16-25. This is because the aspects focused on are scenes of fighting typically enjoyed by a male audience and as the film is of the life of an 18 year old girl it would attract a similar age group. The fact that it is a British film may also attract the younger viewing generation as are interested in seeing films about the down to earth life of everyday teenagers. We also think that this film will appeal to people with a similar background of the location we have chosen as they may assume they could relate to the film. Yet because we have mixed Sci-Fi elements with a British flare, their assumption is not as it would seem. We believe that this would attract a wider actual audience as the Sci-Fi element would attract viewers and so would the British flare to the film too.
V- We think that our film would be rated a 15, we have done some research into the BBFC as to why our film would be classified this. We found it would be classified a 15 due to the scenes of strong language and abrupt violence during the fight scenes that our character partakes in, both during the opening sequence and full duration of the narrative. Within the first two minutes of the sequence Gabi is seen to be smoking and fighting with another, whilst using profound language (even though this may not be apparent in the fight in the opening scene). We feel it appropriate therefore, to give our film a 15 age rating as it abides by the laws the BBFC have directed as later on within our film stronger use of frequent strong language and violence will be made apparent to the viewer.
5) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
G- Firstly, the technologies what we used in order to create our 2 minute opening were; Apple MACS for editing using Final Cut Pro, HD DV cameras with an external microphone and the use of blogger to display our written work on clearly and comprehensively. Through out the filming of our 2 minute opening of a film we quickly learnt how to turn on, rewind, playback and use the light that was built into the camera. As none of us had used this HD camera before as they were quite new it took us no time at all to pick up the basics of how to work the camera for filming. This was due to the fact that we had used the older mini DV camera for filming out preliminary task and so both were quite similar in the usage of each. However, when it came to importing our footage to the MACs we weren’t sure as to how we do this so we had to refer to the manual in order to get all our footage onto the MAC. Once we had figured out how to do this it was fairly straight forward getting everything we filmed on to Final Cut Pro. As well as the camera we also used the external microphone in order to get good quality sound in our final film. This was not difficult to learn how to use as we only needed to attach the microphone to the camera and choose the setting of which we wanted to use. In terms of light quality, we had to work on light exposure especially when film during the night time. During the fight scene we had difficulty keeping the focus of the shot with intermittent strobe lighting. We constantly had to pause filming and learn how to re-focus the camera using a function button. This was a real learning curve. K -As we had never used Final Cut Pro before we learnt a vast amount of how to use the programme whist in the process of editing. Due to the fact we worked together and shared the responsibility of editing we all gained the same knowledge and learnt how to use each of the following things. Once all of our footage was on the MACs we were shown a tutorial by our teacher of how to use the basics of Final Cut Pro. Whist editing, it took us a while to recognize all of the icons to use but we found it easy to pick it up after using them over and over. We learnt how to cut sequences and delete sections of sequences and how to insert different transitions from clip to clip. We then had the issue of finding out how to reverse a sequence, we were kindly shown by a Year 13 how to do this and we then became comfortable doing this ourselves which turned out to be much easier than we thought. As we wanted a specific font we were able to download and import one, ‘British Hero’, and used that to create an urban British feel to our opening. Some of our footage had a bright light exposure which contradicted the feel of our film. We wanted a dull, bland, colouring to enhance the idea that this was a tough council estate. We did this by using the re-colour tool, we learnt how to do this through searching ‘Help’ on Final Cut Pro.
V -We wanted to include a voice over in our 2 minute film over specific clips. Again, this was done by using the help icon in the ‘Final Cut Pro’ software. As well as the voiceover, we wanted the sound track to the opening of BBC News. This was a simplistic task, as there were many levels of sound which could be imported into. Importing music into Final Cut Pro was very simple as was importing pictures too. All we had to do was put all of them on a memory stick and then drag and drop the music and pictures into our timeline where we wanted them. At a few points in our film we speed up and blurred some of the clips, we learnt how to do this by referring to the ‘Help’ tool and we were then able to select how fast and how blurred we wanted the sequence to be. We quickly came to learnt how to change the volume level of sound in the sequence and we became more knowledgeable in how to get the sound levels correct too. We found that on some clips, the diegetic sound was problematic due to background cars and vans distorting the main sound, using the help tool we were able to turn this down. In two of our sequences we had filmed some areas that we didn’t want to include in the actual frame, we were able to understand how to crop out what we didn’t want and were then shown by a teacher how to enlarge the image again so that it fit the same ratio as the other clips.
K -Twice within our film we needed to freeze frame some clips, we learnt how to do this by searing ‘Help’ on the programme which was really helpful to us. Finally and most importantly - which took us a very long time to figure out how to do - we learnt how to add text and titles to our film and how to position them where we wanted. This was with many thanks help from another media student and so we were then able to play around with what we wanted it to look like and where to position the text and the transition it appeared on screen. We also, learnt how to flip clips. This is because to the subconscious eye movements and text read better from left to right. When they are reversed in the film industry it is usually to create an agnostic tension, something which we did not want to portray. Finally, we learnt how to use blogger efficiently and effectively. We were shown how to import pictures, text and how to post videos straight from YouTube for a clear to read and comprehensive blog. We also learnt how to post text from Microsoft Word straight to the blog with thanks to a year 13 student which was of great help.
6) Looking back at your preliminary task, what have you learnt in progression from it to the full product?
G -Our preliminary task showed basic skills of camera shot and dynamic shots we wanted to use. We didn’t have any movement of camera when we filmed in our preliminary task. We realize that looking back at it, it wasn’t a very interesting or captivating location to entice our audience. Our 2 minute film included many movement shots and interesting angles that we had to research to find out how they would be perceived in order to get the correct message. We also had to consider our location, props and actor including shot types to create an overall impact that we wanted whereas we didn’t consider that before in our preliminary task. We have learnt how to shoot different shots that we didn’t know how to do before, for example the arc shot we used when Gabi is smoking shows the vulnerability paranoia that the character is experiencing. We have learnt how to be more dynamic and inventive with the styles of shots we have incorporated in our film compared to our preliminary task so that the audience is drawn in to action. We believe we have achieved this through the strobe lighting we used and the quick editing pace we incorporated.
V -Throughout the filming we made sure that we filmed the same shot but using different angles and elevations so we had the choice when it came to editing of what suited our genre best. We learnt that we needed to film excess footage of each shot to ensure that we didn’t miss anything that we might want to use. However we didn’t do this when we filmed our preliminary task which caused some issues when we edited. We also learnt that storyboarding really helped us to develop a concrete idea as we didn’t have the amenities to change our ideas on set. We felt that our storyboarding from our preliminary task wasn’t as concrete as our story boarding this time was much better in helping us to create our final piece. We also managed to stick to it well, apart from a few changes that we made during editing to benefit the overall film.
K -We feel that planning and research really helped to develop our idea to best that it could be, we watched other films for inspiration which we gathered new ideas from to include. We didn’t do this in our preliminary task which could be as to why the outcome was quite amateur. We visited the locations to see how and where we could film which was a very active way of having a clearer idea as a group to see what the overall outcome of our film would look like. Finally, we learnt that editing can take our film further into captivating and giving interest to the audience viewers. We didn’t do any interesting editing in our preliminary task and this may have been another aspect that didn’t make it very professional. As we were editing, along the way we got feedback from viewers as to what they thought about the work we had produced. This gave us confidence within the work we had already produced and was able to motivate us to improve our film. This feedback also helped us to edit the footage we had so that it was clearer to the audience what our message behind the opening was.
Story Board
Although we stuck to our story board whilst filming, like all big productions this was altered slightly whilst editing. This was done in order to create the best possible film that we could make. This helped us match our given genre and made an overall British impression. Minor alterations included swapping scenes around for example, frame 9 was put in place of scene 7 in order to grab the audience's attention straight away and given an obvious indication of what our character was about. As we changed our clips around, we also needed to change the oder of our titles to what was proposed on our storyboard. We wanted them to appear and not to take attention away from the opening establishing shots.
Furthermore, when it came to shooting we discovered that some of the inventive shots that we had intended to shoot didn't work. For example, we intended for our character to hit the camera sending it spinning horizontally but when it came to filming it didn't give for a sophisticated shot. Instead, we hit the camera vertically so it ended facing the sky which made an interesting phase transition when it came to editing.
In addition, once we had filmed our newspaper title it did not create a very climatic impact as the image appeared very static. Instead, we had the idea of putting several static shots together in quick edits to increase the pace of the drama.
Another aspect of our production that did not follow our story board was a voice over of a news report. This technique not only made the fight scene busy and dramatic but also emphasised the tragic outcome of the event.
In order to enhance the concept that actual time was distorted we freeze framed two scenes - before going into the fight scene and after. This smokey, static impression helped the audience understand that time had reversed and come back to real time again. This was a suggestions given to us when getting audience feedback.
Whilst editing, we included various transitions that we hadn't predicted in our storyboard. This was to add interest to our film and help keep the pace.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
Changes in Idea
As we experienced much difficulty with our actor that we originally planned to use, we decided to change this. We were extremely disappointed that we wouldn’t use our original actor as he was aesthetically perfect for the part; however he could not deliver the kind of acting we wanted so we decided that we would change our actor to someone who we knew could defiantly act. We needed this person to also be reliable and comfortable with acting in front of the camera too. We finally came to the decision as a group that Gabi would be the new actor in the sequence, as we spent a long time trying to think of a male actor; though none of us knew one who would defiantly be able to deliver good acting. Due to our schedule running tight we decided this would also be the most practice idea too.
We realised that changing the gender of the character could cause a big change in the overall outcome of the film but we thought that maybe this could show a different side to the film and could break conventions. We realized this could be too far in the fact that it is very un likely that there are quite a few female ex boxers but we wanted to portray our film clearly through aesthetics of location and through costume too. We still felt that our idea would work even if the character is changed to a female.
We then had to consider costume for Gabi to be dressed in; however we found this easy as we wanted it to be very similar to the costume of which our original character had worn. In the end we decided for the main part of the sequence, she would be dressed in a black hoodie and grey trackies and then also black trainers all of a typical work out style. We also had to consider hair and make-up and we decided obviously no make-up as we wanted Gabi to look quite tom boy-esque. We also decided for her to have her hair up and back off her face. We felt that these changes were appropriate and would still fit very well with the sequence aesthetics and idea we wanted to create.
We also had to consider the music in the opening too in the end we decided not to use Shakespeare - Akala as we felt this was suited to a male actor. When we tried the sequence with the original song and Gabi we decided that it didn't work. we then did some more research into songs that could suit it, searching songs from Adulthood. in the end we came to the conclusion of using Reach by Skrein as this was more suited to the aesthetics and to our character and what she's doing.
We then thought about the fight scene of which before it would be two males having a fight. When we decided to have Gabi as our main actor, we also as a group agreed that Katie was to be the other actor in the fight scene as it would be odd having a female and a male fighting. This change was able to tie the film in and presented us with a sense of relief as we had been struggling all along to find two new characters. This way we all knew each of the characters were reliable and what we wanted to achieve. This was extremely beneficial to us as we would then be able to carry out the filming whenever we wanted and go back to re-filming at any time instead of having to organise and hassle other actors.
We realised that changing the gender of the character could cause a big change in the overall outcome of the film but we thought that maybe this could show a different side to the film and could break conventions. We realized this could be too far in the fact that it is very un likely that there are quite a few female ex boxers but we wanted to portray our film clearly through aesthetics of location and through costume too. We still felt that our idea would work even if the character is changed to a female.
We then had to consider costume for Gabi to be dressed in; however we found this easy as we wanted it to be very similar to the costume of which our original character had worn. In the end we decided for the main part of the sequence, she would be dressed in a black hoodie and grey trackies and then also black trainers all of a typical work out style. We also had to consider hair and make-up and we decided obviously no make-up as we wanted Gabi to look quite tom boy-esque. We also decided for her to have her hair up and back off her face. We felt that these changes were appropriate and would still fit very well with the sequence aesthetics and idea we wanted to create.
We also had to consider the music in the opening too in the end we decided not to use Shakespeare - Akala as we felt this was suited to a male actor. When we tried the sequence with the original song and Gabi we decided that it didn't work. we then did some more research into songs that could suit it, searching songs from Adulthood. in the end we came to the conclusion of using Reach by Skrein as this was more suited to the aesthetics and to our character and what she's doing.
We then thought about the fight scene of which before it would be two males having a fight. When we decided to have Gabi as our main actor, we also as a group agreed that Katie was to be the other actor in the fight scene as it would be odd having a female and a male fighting. This change was able to tie the film in and presented us with a sense of relief as we had been struggling all along to find two new characters. This way we all knew each of the characters were reliable and what we wanted to achieve. This was extremely beneficial to us as we would then be able to carry out the filming whenever we wanted and go back to re-filming at any time instead of having to organise and hassle other actors.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Difficulties and problems when filming
When we went to film our opening sequence we were very optimistic as the weather was exactly how we wanted it to be, the lighting outside and the colour effect this gave was prefect for filming. Luckily this did not change or rain throughout the duration of filming the whole opening sequence. Whilst we were there we managed to get all of the footage we wanted to film in the location we had chosen and our actor was willing to do the shots that we had planned to do.
We did find it difficult when filming the smoking scenes as the cigarette would go down and we realized there would be continuity issues with having the cigarette at different points for each shots so we had to keep lighting more.
However, our opening sequence heavily relies on really good acting, as we progressed to the scenes where this good acting was needed we were less confident with the outcome of the shots. We felt that we would give directions of what to do to the actor but he couldn't really give us the overall result and look of how we wanted the shot to look. Nevertheless we carried on encouraging the actor and got all the shots filmed as we didn't want the whole day of filming to be wasted.
Once we had finished we were able to watch the footage back, overall we were not very happy with what we had ended up with due to the acting that the actor had presented. We felt quite let down with this and we very worried as we had a time schedule to stick to as we wanted to make sure that we filmed our footage before we got back to school from the half term. We finally came to the conclusion that we would import the footage and watch it back properly on the macs to see whether or not it was any different on a bigger screen.
When we had watched the footage on the bigger screen we decided then and there that we had not produced a sequence that any of us were happy with and we felt as if we had missed quite a few opportunities for some better shots to be included in our opening two minutes. We then made the decision to go back to re-storyboarding and changing our idea in order to make sure we could have an actor that we could rely on to really show the emotions that are needed to be portrayed in the sequence.
We did find it difficult when filming the smoking scenes as the cigarette would go down and we realized there would be continuity issues with having the cigarette at different points for each shots so we had to keep lighting more.
However, our opening sequence heavily relies on really good acting, as we progressed to the scenes where this good acting was needed we were less confident with the outcome of the shots. We felt that we would give directions of what to do to the actor but he couldn't really give us the overall result and look of how we wanted the shot to look. Nevertheless we carried on encouraging the actor and got all the shots filmed as we didn't want the whole day of filming to be wasted.
Once we had finished we were able to watch the footage back, overall we were not very happy with what we had ended up with due to the acting that the actor had presented. We felt quite let down with this and we very worried as we had a time schedule to stick to as we wanted to make sure that we filmed our footage before we got back to school from the half term. We finally came to the conclusion that we would import the footage and watch it back properly on the macs to see whether or not it was any different on a bigger screen.
When we had watched the footage on the bigger screen we decided then and there that we had not produced a sequence that any of us were happy with and we felt as if we had missed quite a few opportunities for some better shots to be included in our opening two minutes. We then made the decision to go back to re-storyboarding and changing our idea in order to make sure we could have an actor that we could rely on to really show the emotions that are needed to be portrayed in the sequence.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Testing The Smoking Shot
Here we have shot a short sequence of Gabi practising the shot where our character blows smoke into the camera lens and then it rewinds again. We tested this out as we wanted to make sure that it worked well before we filmed the next day. When we tried it out on the Monday it was quite windy where as on the Tuesday we were lucky to have little to no wind to effect the smoke going into the camera lens.
We think that shot will be one of our most important shots as it shows the audience the character ability to rewind time.
Dates Organised For Filming
As a group, we decided to film the main parts of our 2 minute opening on Monday 21st Feb and Tuesday 22nd Feb as it allowed us to have the rest of the half term to include more shots if we felt we needed to and make any corrections. On the Monday all 3 of us went to the location and filmed various establishing shots being featured at the beginning of the sequence. We also were able to test any other shots that we would be filming the following day. On Tuesday we were able to film our entire sequence as the weather stayed the same which was fortunate.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Discussion of Rating (BBFC)...
When considering the audience rating for our piece we researched the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). This gave us a breakdown on the national guidelines of film rating. Initially, we started by researching 'Kidulthood' and started to understand what rating this was given and why. 'Kidulthood' received a 15 age rating due to it's frequent scenes of a sexual nature, violence and strong language. However, it does not promote these acts. Next, we looked at the criteria that establishes film as a 15 age rating.
15 – Suitable only for 15 years and over
No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
Discrimination
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.
Drugs
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
Horror
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
Imitable behaviour
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.
Language
There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
Nudity
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.
Theme
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
Violence
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.
There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.
We want our film opening to contain the same gritty aspects of a Shane Medow's styled British film. Our film consists of scenes of strong language and abrupt violence during the fight scenes that Dom partakes in both in the opening sequence and full duration of the narrative. Within the first two minutes of the sequence Dom is seen to be smoking and fighting with another, whilst using profound language. The BBFC address that "Smoking was never spontaneously raised as a classification issue and when prompted, there was no support for raising classifications on this basis.". However, the use of the words 'Dickhead' and 'Prick' within our fight scene ensures that our film conforms more suitably to the 15 rating. Much the same as 'Kidulthood' it does note promote this violence and if anything would dissuade our target audience from these kinds of actions. We feel it appropriate therefore, to give our film a 15 age rating as it abides by the laws the BBFC have directed.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Presentation for our Pitch
RetrospectA bold British Sci-Fi about the trials and heart-felt struggles of a troubled teen.
SynopsisRetrospect entails the life story of a young British adult as he struggles to find the fine line between right and wrong. Brought up in a council estate, ‘Dom’, turns to boxing as a means of escape and empowerment. Our film catches his story at a poignant part in his life. He has had his boxing licence revoked due to his arranged illegal boxing matches, which have big money rewards. On his biggest fight yet, the fight goes horribly wrong and he ends up beaten to a pulp. After being resuscitated he comes back with a strange lease of life. Dom has gained a strange power: the ability to rewind bad situations. Our film opening starts with the discovery of this power. During his first illegal fight after his near death experience, ironically he kills his opponent. The next day, he comes face to face with a newspaper article describing his brutality. However, he teleports from the present back to the fight scene and stops the fight to prevent the death of his opponent. The time period is brought back to the present and the newspaper article has changed. The rest of the story follows him along a string of trials his must overcome. However, Dom starts to take advantage of his new power and finds that his alteration of time begins to have a knock on effect on the loved ones around him. The film ends tragically when the implications of his adjustments mean that his dearest friend dies and his is unable to rewind time and save them.
GenreThere are two different categories to which our genre fits into. These are British Film and Sci-Fi. After our research we found that there was a big gap in the market for British Sci-Fi, a challenge which we felt we wanted to undertake. The conventions of a Sci-Fi include… a scientific theme, visionary aspects…Imaginative plots, usually visualized through fanciful settings… Expert film production design, advanced technology gadgets (i.e., robots and spaceships) and fantastic special effects. The latter of which we don’t have. To ensure that our film follows these conventions we plan on taking full advantage of the mac’s editing skills. The usage of editing pace, chronology & colour balance should enhance the believability of our production.
Another key feature that puts our film into the Sci-Fi category is the fact that our Character has the ability to rewind time… However, the immediate genre which is introduced to our audience is the concept of British film (British Mis-en-scene, clothes, music), so by adding the surprise element of sci-fi creates enigma. The aesthetics of a British Film are as follows: gritty, fast paced, and can show the realism and hardship of Britain.
The conventions of the opening 2 minutes of a feature length film are:*Establishes setting/character
*Uses establishing shot and slow pace edits
*Non diegetic sound
*Creates enigma.
We believe our idea incorporates all of these concepts. The establishing close ups of our character give time for the audience to be made aware of the proposed characteristics and props shown in the shot. Hopefully they gain an understanding of the type of character he is. The use of slow motion, real time and reverse scenes creates a contrast in which the plot is developed: the audience are captivated and engrossed by his trail of thought. This therefore, creates enigma. The use of non diegetic sound within the fight scene induces the sense of adrenaline and apprehension which again, adds to the overall pace.
Research
Our favourite part of sculpting our project was obviously the ‘market research’. Any excuse to watch films. We have capitalized on the new found interest for new British Drama/film i.e. Misfits and Adulthood and incorporated winning characteristics from these to enhance our opening. The main film that has the desired affect that we want to create is Adulthood. Here is a brief clip. (Cross, Mis-en-scene, music, costumes) Here is another of fish tank (Also a British film, mis-en-scene) Misfits is yet another form of media that we were able to gain ideas from. We like the way in which the rewinding of time is shown. Lastly, a music video. Devlin shows destruction with the shaking of the camera... something which we could possibly incorporate.
Opening
Our first two opening minutes of our film sequence is as follows... The clip begins with an 18 year old guy, dressed in lower class clothing. We will begin with establishing shots of the mise en scene of an estate. Our character would initially start running through an estate, all the while sparring to make the audience more aware that he is an ex boxer. We have decided to use the estate as it fits better with the mood/genre of the opening and it fits well with the character. We have decided to fade the titles in and out whilst the character is running. As the character is running through the estate he will have headphones in which will be playing diegetic music as it is in the characters ears, as he rests after training he will take out the headphones and the music will stop for the audience also. We have decided to play Shakespeare – Akala as it fits with the character profile. Our character is going to be stood/ sat against a wall showing the stress he's feeling rather than relaxation. We will then show 4-5 establishing character shots: Sparking up a cigarette, twitching with his fingers, bowing his head. By the character is part of a newspaper showing an article about the fight Dom has taken part in. After the character has seen the article he's smoking a cigarette which is blown into the camera and pauses the frame of the smoke for 2-3 seconds which then cuts to the fight scene. Dim lighting produced with a strobe light and torches as a fight/scramble between two lower class lads in an alley way takes place. Lots of low/high/ interesting angles. There are other people in the alley spurring the boys on. We will have diegetic sounds of the fight. The fight will end with Dom walking away from it ending this feud. The close up of the smoke will then rewind showing that time has now changed. Dom will then glance at the article and it will show a different article as if the event never took place.
Character
Research
Our favourite part of sculpting our project was obviously the ‘market research’. Any excuse to watch films. We have capitalized on the new found interest for new British Drama/film i.e. Misfits and Adulthood and incorporated winning characteristics from these to enhance our opening. The main film that has the desired affect that we want to create is Adulthood. Here is a brief clip. (Cross, Mis-en-scene, music, costumes) Here is another of fish tank (Also a British film, mis-en-scene) Misfits is yet another form of media that we were able to gain ideas from. We like the way in which the rewinding of time is shown. Lastly, a music video. Devlin shows destruction with the shaking of the camera... something which we could possibly incorporate.
OpeningOur first two opening minutes of our film sequence is as follows... The clip begins with an 18 year old guy, dressed in lower class clothing. We will begin with establishing shots of the mise en scene of an estate. Our character would initially start running through an estate, all the while sparring to make the audience more aware that he is an ex boxer. We have decided to use the estate as it fits better with the mood/genre of the opening and it fits well with the character. We have decided to fade the titles in and out whilst the character is running. As the character is running through the estate he will have headphones in which will be playing diegetic music as it is in the characters ears, as he rests after training he will take out the headphones and the music will stop for the audience also. We have decided to play Shakespeare – Akala as it fits with the character profile. Our character is going to be stood/ sat against a wall showing the stress he's feeling rather than relaxation. We will then show 4-5 establishing character shots: Sparking up a cigarette, twitching with his fingers, bowing his head. By the character is part of a newspaper showing an article about the fight Dom has taken part in. After the character has seen the article he's smoking a cigarette which is blown into the camera and pauses the frame of the smoke for 2-3 seconds which then cuts to the fight scene. Dim lighting produced with a strobe light and torches as a fight/scramble between two lower class lads in an alley way takes place. Lots of low/high/ interesting angles. There are other people in the alley spurring the boys on. We will have diegetic sounds of the fight. The fight will end with Dom walking away from it ending this feud. The close up of the smoke will then rewind showing that time has now changed. Dom will then glance at the article and it will show a different article as if the event never took place.
CharacterWe have chosen this actor to feature in our 2 minute film, as we believe he fits the look of the type of film we are creating to look like. In the film he will be presented as an 18 year old guy, with a job as an ex illegal boxer. He will be shown to be living in an estate that we will present in the opening of our film to get a background of where the character is from. The costume for our actor will be grey trackies similar to the picture shown, a hoody and trainers. Our character will have the hood up in the opening to emphasis he done something wrong and trying to hide away from it.
Location
To fit the aesthetics of our 2 minute opening we went and looked for potential locations that would look really effective and match well with the idea we have come up with. Here we have taken a few shots of places that we really liked the mise en scene of. We really liked the cross as it becomes a contradictory to the rest of the film. We wanted to use a location that had interesting shots of the lower class estate that our character is from.
Audience & rating
We believe that our film would attract a male audience from the age group of around16-25. This is our intended audience for our film. We also think that this film will appeal to people with a similar background. We think that our film would be rated a 15, we have done some research into the BBFC.
Overlaying music
We have chosen to use the song Shakespeare by Akala, as we think this song was quite fast paced and a song that our character would potentially run to from the look we have given him. The pace of the song matches the pace of the beginning of the film and has a good beat for the character to run and spar to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gme1YN-qZV8
By Gabi, Katie & Vicky
LocationTo fit the aesthetics of our 2 minute opening we went and looked for potential locations that would look really effective and match well with the idea we have come up with. Here we have taken a few shots of places that we really liked the mise en scene of. We really liked the cross as it becomes a contradictory to the rest of the film. We wanted to use a location that had interesting shots of the lower class estate that our character is from.
Audience & ratingWe believe that our film would attract a male audience from the age group of around16-25. This is our intended audience for our film. We also think that this film will appeal to people with a similar background. We think that our film would be rated a 15, we have done some research into the BBFC.
Overlaying musicWe have chosen to use the song Shakespeare by Akala, as we think this song was quite fast paced and a song that our character would potentially run to from the look we have given him. The pace of the song matches the pace of the beginning of the film and has a good beat for the character to run and spar to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gme1YN-qZV8
By Gabi, Katie & Vicky
Friday, 4 February 2011
Textual Analysis - Fish Tank...
In fish tank our main reason for searching this film was through the fact that is has interesting camera angles of the mise en scene which we really wanted to reflect on in our film too. The use of the establishing shots of housing estates is something else we wanted to include.
- Mise en Scene (more than adulthood)
- Character
Textual Analysis - Adulthood...
This film has a similar target audience to what we would like to create, it is a gritty British film also what we would like to reflect on in our film too. We want to use similar kinds of mise en scene showing the kind of area the character is from.
The costumes used in this film are also something we would like to include in our film too as we believe it reflects who the character is.
When we looked into the kind of music we wanted to use in our film we looked up the music used in Adulthood as it fitted the mise en scene in our film too. In the end, we discovered through searching the type of music, Shakespeare by Akala.
- Music
Friday, 21 January 2011
Changes to our Synopsis...
As a group, we have decided to change the destination and the beginning of our 2 minutes. It started at a bench in a isolated field with shots of the main characters feet whilst he's sat down slowly discovering his face. We have now changed this idea to him running through a park/estate training to make the audience more aware that he is an ex boxer. We have decided to use the estate as it fits better with the mood/genre of the opening as it fits well with the character. The titles were supposed to be in the paper whilst the main character was looking through it but we have now decided to fade them in and out whilst the character is running. As the character is running through the estate/park he will have headphones in which will be playing diegetic music as it is in the characters ears, as he rests after training he will take out the headphones and the music will stop for the audience also. We have thought of another idea instead of the character sitting on the park bench which is he would be stood against a wall showing the stress he's feeling rather than relaxation. Around him we would have litter as it isn't the most upper class estate including the newspaper which would show the fight article drawing his attention to it. After the character has seen the article he's smoking a cigarette which is blown into the camera and pauses the frame of the smoke for 2-3 seconds which the cuts to the fight scene.
Another idea we had for the fight scene was to either have the diegetic sounds of the fight or to have the fight scene silent/white noise.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Our Synopsis.....
After the two minute opening, the film would follow the character and will show how the character gained his new found power. The character would be a trained professional boxer who used to take part in arranged illegal fights for big money rewards. One day his prime competition would beat him to a pulp in an illegal fight. The character dies but is resuscitated. When he regains his consciences he discovers his new power of being able to rewind bad situations in time.
Throughout the film he beings to take advantage of his power to better himself, after this misuse of his power the consequences of this then causes a knock on effect, a death of a close friend. This final happening means that he looses his power; the situation can then not be rewound.
The first two minutes is the discovery of his new found power and the first arranged fight after his near death experience.
By Gabi Bonner, Katie Hing & Vicky Sherwood
Throughout the film he beings to take advantage of his power to better himself, after this misuse of his power the consequences of this then causes a knock on effect, a death of a close friend. This final happening means that he looses his power; the situation can then not be rewound.
The first two minutes is the discovery of his new found power and the first arranged fight after his near death experience.
By Gabi Bonner, Katie Hing & Vicky Sherwood
Genre Discussion...
Our opening fits best with the genre of a British sci-fi.
The conventions of this genre are....
"...usually scientific, visionary, comic-strip-like, and imaginative, and usually visualized through fanciful, imaginative settings, expert film production design, advanced technology gadgets (i.e., robots and spaceships), scientific developments, or by fantastic special effects. Sci-fi films are complete with heroes, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology and gizmos, and unknown and inexplicable forces. Many other SF films feature time travels or fantastic journeys, and are set either on Earth, into outer space, or (most often) into the future time. Quite a few examples of science-fiction cinema owe their origins to writers Jules Verne and H.G. Wells."
Our film opening complies with these conventions in that our character faces an impossible quest of rewinding time. He is confronted by a 'villainous' character in dark and shadowy setting and the physical rewinding of this is futuristic and unexpected. This is similar to other british drama works including...
The conventions of this genre are....
"...usually scientific, visionary, comic-strip-like, and imaginative, and usually visualized through fanciful, imaginative settings, expert film production design, advanced technology gadgets (i.e., robots and spaceships), scientific developments, or by fantastic special effects. Sci-fi films are complete with heroes, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology and gizmos, and unknown and inexplicable forces. Many other SF films feature time travels or fantastic journeys, and are set either on Earth, into outer space, or (most often) into the future time. Quite a few examples of science-fiction cinema owe their origins to writers Jules Verne and H.G. Wells."
Our film opening complies with these conventions in that our character faces an impossible quest of rewinding time. He is confronted by a 'villainous' character in dark and shadowy setting and the physical rewinding of this is futuristic and unexpected. This is similar to other british drama works including...
- Misfits
- Dr Who
- Primeval
Camera Shot Types - choices and reasoning...
The combination of different types of shots of his face/what he does whilst sitting on the bench establishes character. We want the audience to feel intrigued by these shots of his emotions and what he does. The reaction shots of the character can reflect on the audience making them also feel what he is feeling. The use of rewinding time and the contrast with real time creates enigma by the different types used.
The conventions of the opening 2 minutes of a feature length film...
- Establishes setting/character
- Uses establishing shot and slow pace edits
- Non diegetic sound
- Creates enigma
We believe our idea incorporates all of these concepts. The establishing close ups of our character give time for the audience to be made aware of the proposed characteristics and props shown in the shot. Hopefully they gain an understanding of the type of character he is. The use of slow motion, real time and reverse scenes creates a contrast in which the plot is developed: the audience are captivated and engrossed by his trail of thought. This therefore, creates enigma. The use of non diegetic sound within the fight scene induces the sense of adrenaline and apprehension which again, adds to the overall pace.
Main Task Concept/Idea...
Our first two opening minutes of our film sequence is as follows...
18 year old man, dressed in lower class clothing smoking a cigarette. Rough hair and clothes.
Establishing shots: Pan along the floor until we reach the feet of the character.
4-5 establishing character shots: Sparking up a cigarette, twitching with his fingers, bowing his head.
High angled over the shoulder shot of the newspaper blowing in the wind on the bench, we see the character pick up the newspaper.
Mid shot of the newspaper being opened out.
Pan along the news paper, lots of quick edits of words within the article about the stabbing that has taken place.
Close up of characters reaction.
Mid shot of newspaper, the camera dives into the fight scene in the paper.
Dim lighting produced with torches & candles as fight/scramble between two lower class lads in an alley way takes place. Lots of low/high/ interesting angles. There are other people in the alley spurring the boys on.
The action suddenly rewinds to the scene where the character is sitting on the bench.
Close up of smoke rewinding from the camera back into the characters mouth.
Several close ups of the character twitching as before and to his face looking confused.
Over the shoulder shot of the character picking up the newspaper again, this time, it has a different article ( as if the event never took place ).
By Gabi Bonner, Katie Hing & Vicky Sherwood.
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